A section of the 2000-strong travelling support at Anfield could be heard singing offensive songs concerning the 1989 tragedy which saw 96 Liverpool supporters lost their lives at an FA Cup semi-final, report the Manchester Evening News .

The sick chants could be heard on TV coverage during the second half as they appeared to become more wide-spread.

United lost the Uefa Cup tie 2-0.

Some Liverpool fans were also heard singing offensive chants and making obscene gestures about the 1958 Munich air disaster in which eight United players and three club officials died.

Today United released a statement about the chanting, saying: “It has always been the position of Manchester United that chants of this nature, which refer to historical tragedies, have no place in the game and do not reflect the values the club holds.

“We are in discussion with our fans’ groups to seek their support in preventing this type of behaviour in the future.”

The second leg of the tie takes place at Old Trafford next week.

Chief Supt Jon Ward, of Merseyside Police, said: “We have received no complaints relating to chanting by supporters at last night’s match but are aware of media coverage. Merseyside Police take all reports seriously and where offences are identified, we would investigate such complaints thoroughly.

Advantage: Liverpool take a 2-0 lead to next week's second leg at Old Trafford (Image: Action Images via Reuters)

“The vast majority of fans behaved impeccably and enjoyed the occasion for what it was – a highly-competitive football match between two passionate clubs and their supporters.

“A great deal of work went into planning for the match involving the clubs, the police and most importantly the fans. The safety of all fans attending Anfield on match day will always be our absolute priority but we can only achieve this through the professionalism of the people who work at the event and through the co-operation of the fans themselves.”

Supporters from both clubs have taken to social media to condemn the chanting.